In countries with federal constitutions divided into subnational entities known as states, the state capital is the administrative center of a state. Under the federalist system of separation of powers, state capitals are similar to national capitals except that their powers are limited to jurisdiction with the state.

Occasionally, capital and capitol are used interchangeably to refer to the "seat of government," but "capitol" more properly refers to the actual building in which the government meets, while "capital" is the geographic region (city) where government is seated.